This book has just begun, so please don't rush, esteemed readers. Aircraft carriers will appear in the later stages, while famous capital ships like Bismarck, Dreadnought-class, Yamato, and Richelieu will be introduced in the middle stages.
(Will aircraft appear? Answer: Yes, but due to the technological level of this plane, they will appear later.)
(The author is short and weak, updating once or twice a day. You can add the book to your bookshelf to 'raise' it. The bookshelf is very important to the author, as it affects future traffic recommendations (thank you on my knees!))
Some essential knowledge for reading this book:
This is a planet where oceans cover most of the surface, and the land area is also larger than that of Blue Star. Due to certain tectonic plate movements, the original landmasses were submerged one by one, turning into islands of varying sizes.
In the last century, mysterious storms have periodically appeared across this planet. After the storms, various unknown advanced warships would materialize out of thin air. They are called "Miracle Storms" and "Miracle Ships" (PS: See the pinned comment for related settings).
People gradually learned to operate Miracle Ships through trial and error. At the same time, they used the advanced industrial products from these Miracle Ships for reverse engineering, advancing into the Steam Age within a hundred years.
Coal, oil, metals, and other mineral resources became the focal point of various powers' competition. The warships born from the Miracle Storms also drew widespread contention, and war raged everywhere... (End of background introduction)
Chu Qing leaned on the railing of the flying bridge with one hand. Two fully operating triple-expansion steam engines made the cruiser's deck tremble slightly, and thick coal smoke spewed from the funnels.
The Armstrong 120mm quick-firing gun is fully popularized in this plane.
Beside the 120mm Armstrong quick-firing gun on the bow, the furrowed brows on the sailors' faces and the flushed cheeks of the ship's officers all revealed the unusual atmosphere.
The 40-caliber 152mm Armstrong quick-firing gun has also been fully popularized in this plane.
The Kaiji-class Cruiser he was on was named Huantai, a custom-modified model with iron ribs and an iron hull. It also had an additional 3-inch Harvey steel waterline armor belt and was re-equipped with quick-firing guns. The power plant consisted of two vertical triple-expansion compound steam engines, successfully reverse-engineered by Shenpu Shipyard a year ago, totaling 6000 horsepower, allowing this Cruiser to cleave through waves at a maximum speed of 20 knots.
The Kaiji-class Cruiser, a masterpiece of the Shipyard Bureau in the late 19th century, was the largest tonnage among modern domestically built warships, second only to Pingyuan.
Yes, Chu Qing, who had transmigrated, was currently on the run...
Before he transmigrated, he was reading a novel on Peach Novel Net about a person who transmigrated to the Sino-Japanese War with a battleship. When he discovered the novel was unfinished, his blood rushed to his head, he blacked out, and transmigrated into a unlucky young master—the son of Chu Xiong, the Garrison Commander of the Taixi Archipelago of the Qian Cang Empire!
This planet was generally similar to Blue Star. Britannia was still the most powerful maritime power, followed by Fascist, Caucasus, White Eagle, Iron Blood, and other nations, all eyeing the vast but weak Qian Cang Empire.
The Taixi Archipelago is a group of islands in the southeastern territory of the Qian Cang Empire on this planet, near Shinpu, Tongzhou, and Yanling Archipelagos. It possesses rich coal deposits. Although the quality is not high, it is still a significant fortune in this era.
After the Age of Storms, these archipelagos, far from the core areas of the Qian Cang Empire, quickly became transit bases for long-distance maritime trade, essentially becoming de facto autonomous territories.
Later, the imperial center simply granted titles to the local officials and gave each the title of Garrison Commander, to balance them and prevent them from forming alliances. Of course, a Cangdong Inspection Fleet directly under the central command was also stationed around the autonomous territories, ostensibly for protection, but in reality for surveillance.
The East Sakura Empire, to the east of Qian Cang, was originally a vassal of Qian Cang. However, as if by some mysterious fate, after the Age of Storms, the East Sakura Empire acquired a large number of advanced warships from the storms. With explosive rapid development, it had reached a level where it could contend with Qian Cang, and even showed signs of surpassing the Qian Cang Empire.
However, population and resources always remained the East Sakura Empire's biggest constraints, making it covet these autonomous territories for a long time. Yet, it feared that too aggressive an action would trigger a full-scale war with the Qian Cang Empire.
Finally, an opportunity arose during the Qian Cang Empire's new emperor's ascension and power transition. A squadron led by a Fuji-class battleship and Asama-class armored cruisers suddenly launched an attack from the east towards the Cangdong waters.
Fuji-class
The hastily organized allied forces of the Cangdong autonomous territories were caught off guard and defeated. The Shinpu Archipelago was captured by the East Sakura Fleet, and even the Shenpu Shipyard, which had just gained the ability to build 4,000-ton cruisers, fell into the hands of the East Sakura Empire.
Meanwhile, the imperial internal affairs were busy with the struggle, replacement, and handover of power. The Cangdong Inspection Fleet remained inactive, allowing the East Sakura Fleet to attack.
Ultimately, the hastily assembled fleets from Taixi, Tongzhou, and Hexing Archipelagos sacrificed all their large ships to create an opportunity for their torpedo boats, damaging the most powerful Fuji-class battleship, which finally halted the East Sakura's advance.
Chu Qing, however, had been knocked unconscious by the old Garrison Commander Chu Xiong before the decisive battle, then stuffed onto this Kaiji-class Cruiser, sailing with a high-speed transport ship towards the Yanling Archipelago in the west, preserving Taixi's last spark...
As soon as he transmigrated, his home was stolen, a truly difficult start. Chu Qing looked around and then scoured the original owner's memories, finally confirming that he only had this modified Kaiji-class Cruiser under his feet and the 7,500-ton Flying Whale high-speed transport ship following about a nautical mile behind...
"Others are using pre-Dreadnought battleships and armored cruisers, but I only have a modified old ship and a transport ship. How am I supposed to live like this? Can I get a golden finger, please?"
Just as he was about to sigh and hold his forehead, a "beep" sounded.
"Beep! Smart Brain binding in progress, please wait, Host..."
"Binding complete. System initializing..."
"Initialization complete... Activating Space-Time Mall... Granting 100 Space-Time Points!"
"?! Is this for real??"
A floating panel indeed appeared before him. "All transmigrators must be placed in a situation of certain death to then find life..." Chu Qing secretly rejoiced, "Novels truly don't deceive me..."
He then proceeded to check the Smart Brain's function description. The Smart Brain's functions were very extensive, including night vision, target recognition, auxiliary analysis, and so on. Most crucially, it also came with a Space-Time Mall, allowing him to purchase various items and military equipment that appeared before a certain year limit using Space-Time Points. The initial year limit was 1905, and each level increase unlocked an additional 10 years.
"Detecting that the host is currently in a predicament, emergency assistance is being issued. Please check," the Smart Brain's emotionless mechanical voice announced.
A special ship exchange coupon appeared on Chu Qing's panel. The holographic 3D image on it made Chu Qing's eyes widen—the 10 45-caliber 305mm main guns, 27 3-inch secondary guns, and the long forecastle hull shape, all told him unmistakably that this was the Dreadnought, the progenitor of modern battleships, completed in 1906!
"Special Ship Exchange Coupon (Dreadnought-class) X1, redeemable for one Dreadnought-class battleship (crew not included)," Chu Qing looked at the prompt on the panel, his heart burning with excitement.
Dreadnought-class Battleship Blueprint
He was very clear about what a great help a Dreadnought-class battleship would be in a world where naval power reigned supreme! Moreover, in such a worldview, there was no need to worry about explaining the ship's origin; don't ask, just say it was picked up in a storm!
The only problem was the crew, but when Chu Qing scanned one of the Smart Brain's abilities, the last obstacle vanished without a trace:
"Resonance Amplification Field — Ability Description: Consumes Space-Time Points to release a special magnetic field, which, by interfering with brainwaves, non-destructively and directionally enhances the target's learning and practical abilities for specified projects, up to 500 times."
There were enough professional sailors on this Cruiser and the transport ship behind it. Coupled with the Smart Brain's special ability, "Resonance Amplification Field," it was sufficient to quickly form combat effectiveness.
Chu Qing puffed out his chest, took a deep breath of the sea breeze, and felt a surge of power within his body...
"Come on! The pride and glory of big ships and big guns!"
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